


Weak Against the Elements: Yusuke Kitagawa vs. the Stove

by myaami



Series: Weak Against the Elements [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Daily Life Outside the Metaverse, Elemental Weakness, Gen, Humor, Persona-user problems, Slice of Life, Spoilers for Fourth Palace, mentioned abuses from the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myaami/pseuds/myaami
Summary: When Yusuke is liberated from Maderame, he needs to learn how to cook for himself. The stove-top flame, however, he is not so sure about.(Part 4 of 8, sometimes your weakness snuffs out all common sense.)





	Weak Against the Elements: Yusuke Kitagawa vs. the Stove

“Hey, Inari, you listening? We have to set the oven to medium and the stove to 350.”

“I believe you have that backwards: the oven has the numerical temperature indicator. It is the stove top with fixed settings for high, medium, and low.”

“If I wanted your advice, I would have asked,” but Futaba stops playing with the stove and sets the oven properly.

“As a matter of fact, you did ask. That is why I’m here in Leblanc with you,” Yusuke reminds her. Futaba mutters something under her breath that Yusuke can’t quite hear. “Why did you not select Boss’ curry specialty to cook?”

“Because I’m afraid I’ll mess it up. I don’t want a bad association of my first cooking experience with my favorite food. Besides, the first time I cook for Sojiro and everyone, I want their taste buds to be blown way out of this world!”

“In that case, I don’t know why you asked me to help,” Futaba sticks out her tongue at Yusuke who then pokes her forehead, “but I appreciate your kind gesture to invite me over all the same. Together, I believe in our ability to craft a perfect meal.”

“Alright!”

Futaba, recently freed from the confines of her room, is like Yusuke: neither know how to cook. Living under Maderame, Yusuke’s meals were either provided for and extravagant, or barely enough to feed himself. Never before has he had access to an array of fresh ingredients, nor the opportunity to prepare the food himself. Boss had kindly lent them use of Leblanc and its kitchen for the afternoon, closing up early and stepping out when Yusuke and Futaba expressed a desire to cook unassisted.

“Okay, the oven is set!” Futaba beams. “What’s next?”

“Next we turn on the stove to boil the water.” Yusuke places a pot of water on the counter beside him and reaches out to adjust the stove knob to low heat. Futaba’s meal is a simple noodle dish with baked vegetables. Parallelization is key: they will prepare the water to reach a boil at the same time as the oven is ready, but first they must cut the vegetables, then bake them and start the noodles simultaneously.

Yusuke’s fingers still hover near the knob.

Yes, just turn the knob, wait for a moment, then put the pot of water on top. Wait several minutes for the water to boil, add the noodles, and set a timer. The process of cooking is quite different from art which has unpredictable moments and bursts of inspiration. But perhaps that comes later in the cooking process, and creativity manifests in the form of the cutting of vegetables in different shapes and sizes, and the haphazard seasoning, a splash of random chaos in an otherwise orderly kitchen. He will have to paint the scene sometime.

Yusuke turns the knob.

_*click click click click snap*_

He turns it off. This anticipation is not good for his heart. Yusuke may never have cooked before, but he certainly knows what is going to happen next. It’s inevitable. It is known. Yet knowledge does not make it comforting. Futaba is still washing the vegetables, but she will soon call out to Yusuke, and he'll be expected to help. He cannot stand here at the stove for much longer without action.

_*click click click click snap*_

Persistence is key.

Once again.

_*click click click click whoosh*_

Yusuke jumps back, knocking into Futaba who throws her arms around him, vegetables still in hand, to stop themselves from falling backwards onto the floor. Yusuke continues to back up, putting as much distance as he can between himself and the open flame, beautiful, of course, just as when time slows and he watches a fiery Agilao aimed at him in the Metaverse. This flame is contained for now but who knows what would happen if a napkin or a towel were next to the flame. What then? A fireball as large and destructive as Ann’s Maragion is what, and here in the real world he is trapped with no special healing powers and no one to cover him if he gets burnt and knocked down. Futaba is wonderful at providing last minute support, but she’s not hovering in Necronomicon now; she is unfortunately of no help in this particular situation.

“Yusuke!” Futaba is shouting. Yusuke knows he must have been pondering the severity of his situation for some time if Futaba is using his real name to get his attention. “Y-you really scared me. Are you alright?” His head snaps around to look at her, but he keeps a watchful eye on the flame, still swaying to a seductive and imminently destructive dance on the stove top.

He looks back to the fire. Can he escape? If he presses back against the counter, he might be able to sneak past while maintaining a reasonable distance, but flames in the Metaverse are unpredictable and this one has as much random potential. Yusuke should have planned better for this.

An object in his periphery catches his attention. _Of course!_ He grabs the fire extinguisher, pulls the pin, and lets loose its lifesaving foam, covering the stove, the sink, the fridge, floor; everything to be safe, except for himself and Futaba who is still attached to him.

Once he depletes the container, he turns off the stove knob. Must not forget, safety first. Yusuke is still too close to the ashen remains for comfort, so he vaults over the counter only to come face to face with the Boss himself, doused in foam, expression unreadable under all the spray.

Yusuke speaks first, “Ah, you’ve returned early. Not to worry, I have contained the emergency.” Yusuke retrieves a handkerchief from his pocket and places it in Sojiro’s hand.

Sojiro grumbles from beneath the foam.

“Inari. Let’s clean up, then ask Sojiro for help.”

Yusuke takes a good look at the scene around him. It appears he went overboard. “… Yes, perhaps that is best, Futaba.”


End file.
